Sky invests in eSports channel Ginx TV

September 20, 2016

Sky has invested £1.55 million (€1.80m) in Ginx TV, the owner of the UK and Ireland’s only 24-hour eSports TV channel, GINX eSports TV. UK commercial broadcaster ITV will invest an equal amount, and both companies will have the option to acquire further holdings. The investment follows the launch of the channel on the Sky platform in June.

GINX eSports TV showcases major eSports tournaments from across the globe, as well as unique, independent programming. The schedule includes coverage of Turner’s ELEAGUE tournament, FACEIT’s eSports Championship Series, and Valve’s The International Dota 2, which GINX eSports TV will is covering live from its new King’s Cross studio. Other content partners will include Riot, Activision, EGL, Gfinity and more will be announced.

The best of GINX eSports TV is also available to Sky Q customers, via the curated short-form online video section of the Sky Q EPG.

Outside the UK and Ireland, GINX eSports TV is distributed to an additional 23 million households, making it the largest eSports TV channel in the world, reaching 37 million homes. With the rapid growth of competitive gaming and eSports as a spectator event over the past few years, the appetite and potential for an eSports TV channel has never been greater.

“We’re really excited to have followed up our commercial partnership with Ginx with this investment, which will help us deepen our understanding of eSports and its audience,” commented Emma Lloyd, Group Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Sky. “At Sky we are committed to bringing new programmes and channels such as GINX eSports TV to support and extend our leadership position in content.”

This investment follows recent Sky investments in the Drone Racing League, which will be shown on Sky Sports Mix, TRX, the online marketplace for TV rights and fuboTV, a sports-focused over-the-top provider. Sky has previously invested in a number of other pioneering technology companies, including online video aggregator PlutoTV, over-the-top video company TV4, sports social network Whistle Sports, IP streaming service provider Roku and the cinematic virtual reality company Jaunt.